Leg Ulcer Treatment at America's Vein Doctors in Michigan and South Carolina

Treat Your Leg Ulcers at America's Vein Doctors

For some, a leg ulcer might only look like a bad skin lesion or their eczema returning due to a shift in the weather, but its causes may lie deeper than that. If your leg wound involves swelling, varicose veins, and pigmentation, consult our vein specialists at America's Vein Doctors. Allow us to have it assessed for chronic venous ulcers.

America's Vein Doctors provide a thorough screening of your venous leg ulcer, so we'd have a diagnosis of your condition, followed by a comprehensive treatment plan. Schedule an appointment with us today for your free leg screening.

What are Leg Ulcers?

Leg ulcers are open lesions or sores found in the legs. This open wound lets in air and bacteria to your underlying tissues, making it susceptible to infections or inflammations. Leg ulcers are also slow to heal, taking around 2 weeks.

A chronic leg ulcer can also be a recurring problem without proper treatment, so proper wound care is necessary. What some patients might think of only as a skin condition may actually be related to your blood flow. That's why the lesion is sometimes called venous ulcer or chronic venous leg ulcer, depending on the type.

If the open wound on your leg never heals, better consult a vein specialist at America's Vein Doctors. We will thoroughly screen your chronic wound and provide you with customized treatment options according to your condition.

Types of Leg Ulcers

There are different types of chronic leg ulcers. Knowing the right type you have is necessary for coming up with a reliable treatment plan.

The types of chronic leg ulcers are:

Venous ulcer - this chronic ulcer is caused by poor blood flow in the veins due to damaged valves or high blood pressure in the legs.
Arterial ulcer or arterial leg ulcer - this type of skin ulcer develops due to poor blood circulation in the arteries.
Traumatic leg ulcer - a skin ulcer developed from a leg injury.
Vasculitic leg ulcer - this type of chronic ulcer is related to other inflammatory disorders, like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
Diabetic leg ulcers - this chronic ulcer is caused by diabetes or high blood sugar.
Malignant leg ulcers - this type of leg ulcer developed from a tumor on the skin of your leg.

These are the types of skin ulcers on the leg. If you have a skin ulcer in your legs, accompanied by varicose veins, swelling, and itchiness, seek a consultation with our vein specialists immediately. Our board-certified physicians will provide screening to assess it for venous stasis ulcers and other cardiovascular diseases possibly causing your sores.

Why You Have Leg Ulcers

Leg ulcers are caused by many reasons, depending on their type, but the common risk factors include age and family history. If your parents or an immediate family member has a condition causing leg ulcers like diabetes or rheumatoid arthritis, you may be susceptible to developing these conditions. You may develop a chronic ulcer as one of the symptoms coming with the said condition.

Here are some of the causes of leg ulcers:

diabetes
hypertension or high blood pressure
poor blood circulation
venous insufficiency
high blood pressure in the legs or venous hypertension
smoking
heart diseases
kidney diseases
heart disease
inflammation
smoking

If what you have is a venous stasis ulcer, it's caused by a venous disease called chronic venous insufficiency. You develop venous ulceration because the blood pools at the vein of the affected leg while maintaining its blood pressure. Venous hypertension in your legs causes your veins to burst, giving your skin a reddish-brown color and causing swelling and skin ulcers.

You experience venous reflux at your lower extremity because the one-way valves at your leg veins are weakened due to venous hypertension. These vein valves are necessary for your blood circulation because they prevent blood from flowing back to the legs as it returns to the heart.

Your venous disease might also be a post-thrombotic syndrome or a condition resulting from another vein problem called deep vein thrombosis. This condition involves a blood clot forming in deeper veins in your body.

If you have an open wound in your lower leg that takes a long time to heal, consider consulting with our vein experts at America's Vein Doctors for a chronic venous leg ulcer. We will screen your wound and provide a diagnosis based on a series of tests and examinations. This allows us to offer integrated treatment options for wound care and resolving the underlying vein problem.

Symptoms of Leg Ulcers

Some might mistake a chronic leg ulcer for other skin conditions. That's why you must consult a vein specialist as well if you've noticed a chronic wound at your lower extremity.

The symptoms of leg ulcers are:

pain in the affected leg
open sores
pus
increasing size of the wound
swelling of the affected leg
varicose veins or enlarged veins
heavy feeling in the legs

These are the symptoms of leg ulcers. Schedule an appointment with our vein specialists at America's Vein Doctors to know more about your symptoms and offer you treatment options for wound care and venous disease.

How We Treat Your Leg Ulcers

America's Vein Doctor offers integrated treatment options to patients experiencing leg ulcers based on the thorough examinations and tests we've conducted to diagnose your condition. If you have venous ulceration, we also create solutions to resolve your venous disease.

Diagnosis

Our diagnosis for your lower leg ulcers is based on examinations and imaging tests. Patients can expect to be interviewed and screened for a physical examination to determine the cause of the sore. The tests we might conduct to screen your condition are:

MRI scan
CT scan
Ultrasound
X-ray

Patients with leg ulcers may expect a thorough consultation from our specialists to offer a more viable diagnosis.

Treatment

Treatment of chronic leg ulcers necessitates methods for wound healing, preventing the lesion from growing further in size, relieving pain, and stopping the infection. Here are the ways to treat your chronic wound:

Medications - our specialists at America's Vein Doctors will also prescribe medications to speed up your healing and prevent further complications. If your chronic leg ulcers have already developed pus, this means they're already infected. We'll provide prescriptions of antibiotics to fight off bacteria. We may also prescribe painkillers because applying a compression bandage can be painful at first. Aspirin to prevent blood clots and Pentoxifylline to improve blood flow are also some of the medicines we may prescribe to you.
Wound cleansing - before dressing your chronic wound, our medical professionals first ensure cleaning the wound, removing dead tissue and other debris for better wound healing.
Dressing the wound - we will use a non-sticky dressing to cover up your open wound and keep foreign contaminants and bacteria at bay.
Compression therapy - we will apply a compression bandage to improve your blood flow and reduce the swelling, promoting better wound healing. Compression therapy involves the application of compression bandages that will squeeze the legs to aid blood to flow upward towards the heart and prevent venous stasis or blood collecting at the leg vein. Only a professional should apply your compression bandage for you.

These are the ways how we treat your leg ulceration alone. Consult our vein specialist to know more about other treatment options for venous leg ulceration.

Treating Other Symptoms

Leg ulcers are usually accompanied by other symptoms that bring patients the discomfort and immense emotional stress due to their appearance, greatly affecting their quality of life. America's Vein Doctors also offers treatment options for:

Swelling of the legs - your leg often swells due to fluid or edema. Compression therapy can resolve this symptom, or we can also prescribe medications that aid in draining your edema.
Skin itching - leg ulcers are sometimes accompanied by itching skin. For this symptom, you'd need to apply moisturizers and topical corticosteroids. If your skin itching is caused by the dressing, you must undergo allergy tests.
Varicose veins - while usually not life-threatening, varicose veins may also cause discomfort due to pain. Their appearance may also cause low self-esteem due to how they look. America's Vein Doctors offers a wealth of treatment options for removing your spider veins and varicose veins.

Treatment for underlying venous disease

Your leg ulcer is just one of the many symptoms of an underlying venous disease. Our treatment plan for your leg ulcers will also involve resolving the underlying vein problem.

We resolve your venous disease with:

Medications
Interventional Procedures
Sclerotherapy
Endovenous radiofrequency ablation
Endovenous laser ablation
Surgery

Schedule an appointment with our vein specialists at America's Vein Doctors. Get a free leg or vein screening today.

Free Yourself From Vein Issues at America’s Vein Doctors

At America’s Vein Doctors, we promise to deliver high-quality vein treatments for any and all vein concerns. Improve your quality of life by contacting us today for your initial consultation.

Home Remedies for Leg Ulcers

You may also try out home remedies for treating your leg ulcers. Aside from your prescriptions, our specialists at America’s Vein Doctor may also recommend patients try these methods.

Home remedies for treating leg ulcers involve:

elevating the legs
cleaning wound with a saline solution
wearing compression socks
applying honey to the dressing
applying turmeric to the lesion

Consult a specialist to learn more about how to try these home remedies.

How to Prevent Leg Ulcers

America’s Vein Doctors also guides patients with the proper routines for preventing leg ulcers if they suspect high risks of developing one. Aside from treating leg ulcers, our specialists can also ensure the health of your veins.

Here are some ways to prevent leg ulcers:

use compression stockings
maintain a stable weight
avoid scratching your legs
keep your skin moisturized
observe proper diet
exercise regularly
be conscious of medical conditions related to family history
avoid smoking
elevate your legs

Schedule an appointment at America’s Vein Doctor to have a free leg or vein screening today. Know more about how you can prevent leg ulcers.

FAQs About Leg Ulcers

Q: When can my leg ulcers heal?

A: Venous leg ulcers usually heal within 3 to 4 months when treated by healthcare providers with compression therapy and other procedures.

Q: Can leg ulcers lead to amputation?

A: Leg ulcers can lead to amputation, but this option is only applicable to patients whose sores have progressed dangerously into skin and bone infections. This severity of inflammation happens when the ulcers haven’t received medical attention.

Q: What happens if I don't treat my leg ulcer?

A: Your condition might progress into more serious complications, like septicemia or osteomyelitis.

Q: How often should I change the dressing of my leg ulcer?

A: Change the dressing of your leg ulcer once a week to avoid infections.

Q: Why is my leg ulcer not healing?

A: Severe leg ulcers take a longer time to heal. Address the root cause of your leg ulcers to help you know more about the condition. Resolving the main cause, which is usually related to blood circulation, may hasten the recovery of your lesion.

Receive Comprehensive Treatment at America's Vein Doctors

America’s Vein Doctors provide patients with integrated treatment for different venous concerns and diseases. We are equipped with advanced technology to offer patients different solutions, conducted by board-certified physicians.

Board-certified vein specialists
Fully-equipped facility
Extensive screening
Kind and compassionate staff

Schedule an appointment with our vein specialists to examine your leg ulcers and other symptoms and venous concerns, like spider veins and varicose veins.

Schedule a Consultation with Our Vein Specialists at America's Vein Doctors for Your Leg Ulcers

Leg ulcers have left patients with immense discomfort and emotional stress as the condition starts affecting their personal lives. These open sores must receive immediate medical attention to avoid progression into serious complications.

Have your leg ulcers examined thoroughly by our vein specialists to arrive at a diagnosis. Our experts at America’s Vein Doctors will provide you with a customized treatment option committed for you to experience wellness. Treat your leg ulcers by scheduling an appointment with us starting with a free leg or vein screening.

Visit one of our clinics across Michigan and South Carolina, or leave us a call to book an appointment. You may also fill out a form at our website.